Sunday, 31 May 2009

A brave whistleblower warns today how race-hatred is still the lifeblood of the evil BNP - and begs People readers: "Vote for anybody but them this week."Former BNP candidate Christopher Brennan made his plea as the far-right party try to win support for Thursday's vital Euro and local elections.Leader Nick Griffin and his henchmen are selling themselves as mainstream moderates. But Chris, 21, declared: "Don't be fooled - they are racist to the core."

Chris was just 18 when he stood as a British National Party candidate in multi-cultural Luton, Beds. He said officials routinely branded black people n*****s. And he claimed they told activists to launch violent attacks on their "enemies".Chris - who quit the party in disgust in 2007 - said: "I've seen the BNP for what they really are. They are hellbent on destroying all that is good in Britain. No matter what is said in public about not being a racist organisation any longer, those beliefs are still at the core of the organisation.

The European elections give them a chance to get a foothold in British politics because people are so incensed by the scandal of MPs' expenses. But they are beyond the pale."The BNP is fielding 450 candidates for the local elections and 66 for the European Parliament poll.ConvictedTheir campaign is being led by Griffin - convicted in 1998 of distributing material likely to incite racial hatred - and publicity manager Mark Collett. Chris worked alongside both of them during his failed election bid in 2007.The whistleblower - who joined the BNP as an impressionable 13-year-old - said: "

On the outside these men, like many BNP activists, will take the party line of presenting an image of respectability, people the voters can trust. But at secret meetings the talk is of 'breaking the legs of our enemies'."He went on: "I met Griffin and Collett several times. Griffin congratulated me for standing and told me our country needed 'young blood'. I remember him saying, 'We need to get to the stage when we have 40,000 people to march on to the streets to take our country back from the immigrants'."Before my election in 2007, Griffin came to Luton to make speeches where he said the P*kis were to blame for housing shortages in the north. Collett hated black people and made no secret about it - he spoke about n*****s diluting the British race.

He and Griffin made it clear how they felt - but made sure they made it clear how we should behave in public for the 'good of the party'."Chris claimed Collett quoted whole passages from Hitler's book Mein Kampf to a packed meeting in Luton. And he said Collett once told him he idolised the Nazi monster.Chris revealed: "Collett said he wanted to be just like him - a man of courage and honour is how he put it. He called Mein Kampf his version of the Bible and quoted passages from it, encouraging others to study it."Chris said party workers were instructed in how to intimidate opponents. He went on: "We were told to find the names and addresses of anyone who campaigned against us. We'd put them under surveillance for several days, photographing them and watching their movements. Some had bricks through their windows and some even had deaththreats and were warned not to carry on. Griffin and Collett knew this was going on - it was talked about openly.

In private, the party line is that the ballot is just a stepping stone and after that it will be taken by force."Chris claimed the party was now being torn apart by jealous rivalries. He said: "Senior figures are at each other's throats, all vying for power and trying to discredit each other."But he warned the BNP is still a force to be reckoned with at Thursday's polls.Chris said: "The public may be appalled at MPs' expenses but the reason the BNP is targeting European seats is because of the wages and extortionate expenses members can claim. There's an agreement to claim the highest amount and divide the money between individuals and the party so there is more in the coffers for the next wave of elections. It needs to be stopped - and I hope it is not too late to stop British electors being fooled into voting for them."He went on: "Having witnessed what I have, no one associated with it is to be trusted and every aspect of the party is devious.

Behind the smart suits and the nice smiles are lies and deceit that will threaten our country."Chris added: "Thousands of people will be thinking the BNP is an alternative to the other parties. But there is a dark side which we have to stop coming to power ever."Griffin denied all the allegations and branded Chris a Labour mole.He said: "This man is paid to tell lies about us by an organisation funded by the Labour Party."

He insisted he never said n*****s and only used P*ki to describe a type of street thug not the Muslim community.And referring to the housing shortage he added: "Why on earth would I blame Pakistanis for a problem caused by Poles, Czechs and Nigerians?" Collett also denied Chris's claims, saying: "He clearly has a personal grievance. It's not what we stand for and the members would not tolerate these claims - they are utterly ludicrous."It is a politically motivated stunt on the eve of the elections."Sunday People

Tuesday, 26 May 2009

Never again must we see the sight, in our town, of a 200-strong rabble fighting police on the central dual carriageway in a bid to reach Bury Park; terrified customers barricaded within a restaurant; Asian shops with windows smashed or students assaulted.

We extend our thoughts to those who were assaulted, intimidated or had property damaged as a result of the actions of the lawless majority on that march. We also commend the actions of police on the ground who, with severe provocation, contained the disturbances with minimum force.

The Asian community showed admirable restraint under tremendous provocation and thanks must go out to community leaders who exercised great leadership under duress.However, the truth is that these events could have been entirely avoided. Intelligence from the internet quite clearly showed that there was a large contingent that cared nothing for honouring troops, laying wreaths or handing in petitions. They intended to travel to our town in order to cause the very same trouble that we saw on Sunday evening.

In trying to appease demonstrators, the authorities tried to negotiate with groups such as "March for England" and in doing so gave the green light for all manner of individuals with a grudge or grievance to attend. March for England then realised this for themselves and pulled out, meaning that there was no-one on the day who could exercise leadership for the gathering or be held accountable.

This resulted in three different groupings entering Luton on Sunday. Two were relatively dignified and peaceful but numbered no more than fifty. The third bolted from the form-up point in Manor Park right from the very start and were responsible for the confrontation with both police and community.

In the aftermath of these events we call for the following :1) An urgent assurance from the authorities that no further parades of this kind be allowed, particularly given the fact that a spokesperson for the demonstrators has identified 31st August as the next date for disturbances.2) Police to use the full force of the law to mete out justice to those responsible for violence, threat and criminal damage3) The Council to review their procedures for considering the merit of parade applications, incorporating a far stronger consideration of impact on community cohesion.

In stark contrast, Monday’s International Carnival – with 100,000 participants instead of 200 – provided a far more positive and accurate representation of our town of Luton than events the previous evening.

Peace, harmony and tolerance are values worth defending and we call upon all within the town to work towards this end.

Monday, 25 May 2009

I arrived at Manor Park at 4.30pm to see a small number of mounted police at the form-up point awaiting the demonstrators. They were to be found in boisterous mood in various pubs and bars in a trail from Park Street up to Market Hill. At 4.45pm, a large contingent made their way down to the Park, chanting "we want muslims out" and drawing much bemused attention from passers by.

When we reached the Park, police calmly ushered demonstrators into the Park. There was a small "formal" delegation from March for England already line-up, but suddenly a large group (about 200) bolted in the direction of the town centre. Police soon realised that plans had to change quickly, as it soon dawned on us that there was only one thing one minds of this group of youths - the fastest route possible to Bury Park ready for a confrontation with the Asian community. A quick pause at the war memorial was followed by nearly 2 hours of cat-and-mouse with the police as this group of demonstrators zig-zagged their way along Luton side streets try to make their way northwards. On each turning police, now wearing riot shields and carrying batons, outflanked the protestors and hemmed them in. On many occasions ringleaders urged the crowd to stand their ground and mount a charge at police. A few hurled banners at police lines and there were arrests made when youths fought with police as they were trying to make their way towards Bury Park along the elevated dual carriageway.

Some of those arrested, I was told, already have recent convictions for violent offences.

Some had a different target in mind. "Leave them - they're coppers, not Pakis" said one as a further attempt to break police lines was made. An Asian shop down Chapel Street had its windows broken and cars were damaged as one individual walked up the boot, across the roof, down the windscreen and on with his journey.

Dedicated T-shirts, balaclavas and Sayful Islam masks (with devil's horns) were being sold by the same person in a grim attempt to sell "merchandise" related to the event.

Eventually police cornered the mob in Market Hill and the crowd dispersed into local bars. However, disturbances went on into the evening and further attempts were made to make ventures into Bury Park.

Great credit must go to a local young Imam who persuaded a group of angry young muslim men from making their way towards the town centre. A true act of leadership matched by the self-restraint and disciplined of the Bury Park youth. It appears that the Imam was from the same mosque that was burned in a firebomb incident from a few weeks ago.

Strangely, there were three distinct groups of demonstrators : 1) the break-away mob as described; 2) the "official" March for England delegation who laid their wreath and left 3) a further small group who walked down towards the town hall and stayed for the duration of the afternoon at the war memorial.

The instigator of the event, Paul "Lionheart" Ray, has announced intentions for another march in August, but surely Luton can be spared another re-run of this mayhem.

This blog will report on the aftermath of the demonstration in the days and weeks to come.

We have come across Godfrey before when he stood in 2007 (with Deacon as agent) in Caddington and Slip End under the banner of the NF. He is a frequent correspondent of the local paper, where he has stood up for Oswald Mosely and supported Prince Harry when he wore a swastika armband.

Godfrey was a active member of Mosley's post war Union Movement. By the 1970's when it was in terminal decline some core members who were hard line National Socialists set up the League of St George. Membership was by invitation only and our picture shows Godfrey (second from left) marching at Diksmuide in Belgium on the occasion of their annual pan-Europe get-together.

Shelley Rose (centre) flanked by BNP leader Nick Griffin and Young BNP activist Mark Collet.Collet appeared in the 2002 Channel Four documentary "Young, Nazi and Proud." He is quoted as saying "Hitler will live forever; and maybe I will."

In 1998, Griffin was convicted of inciting racial hatred for publishing material that denied the Holocaust.

On 27th November 2008 Rose – worker at a Luton furniture company - showed that she was capable of spreading similar lies. On Facebook, when describing why she was boycotting Tescos (once owned by Jewish people) she said:

"They want to take over the world, all the other shops even supermarkets seem to have some regard for local produce and the country. Tesco's are on their own agenda. They will destroy all business around them, unless people refuse to shop there. I would rather put myself out and pay a bit more at a smaller local shop, than line the pockets of the kikes that run Tesco."

Thursday, 21 May 2009

My name is Chris Brennan and I had the misfortune to be a candidate for the British National Party in the 2007 Luton elections. I joined another racist group, the National Front, when I was just out of school - down on my luck and without too many prospects. I joined the BNP after a couple of years in the NF running around with people that were little more than criminals and bootboys. At first the BNP appeared friendly and offered some simple answers to things that were frustrating me at the time. As I got drawn further in however, it became clear to me that their activists were full of hate - for Jews and black people as well as for each other. When I stood as a candidate I felt I was left all by myself - a young lad - without any support from the older men who were pulling the strings from way off in Milton Keynes. The last straw was when another party member assaulted me in the street - from that point on I decided to make a break. Since then I have made a new career for myself in a new part of the country. Whereas I still have questions about immigration, my views have changed seeing that I have got to know people from all sorts of backgrounds.

My simple message to you is not to trust any leaflet or candidate from the BNP that might land on your doorstep. Behind the gloss lies a message of fear put around by men who have no answers for the issues of Luton today.

Wednesday, 13 May 2009

1. What evidence do we have that the accommodation of a march will draw this issue to a close ?

2. It is clear from Facebook that protestors see the campaign as a phased programme of events. In fact they have identified a number of demands.Is there not a significant risk that they will be emboldened by this action to make future requests that, to be "fair", have to be considered on face value ?

3. Specifically, will the heralded "D-Day" event for 6th June now be cancelled if the 24th May event goes ahead ?4. Could it not be argued that in organising (albeit illegally) on bank holiday Monday 13th April, the demonstrators have had a more-than-fair chance to make their demands and articulate their feelings on the issue of March 10th ?

5. Will the 24th event culminate in a rally with speeches ? Do we have notice of who the speakers are ? Will the content of their speeches be restricted ? The twin themes of "March for England" are "immigration" and terrorism."

6. Is there not a problem where the criteria for permission relate purely to issues of health and safety with no consideration of equalities and impact on community cohesion ?

7. Does this concession to march not run contradictory to the strong message sent out on the cover of the recent "Lutonline" saying "Enough is enough. Luton is our town and the people who live here work hard to co-exist, ensuring community cohesion. We don’t need people using our town as an excuse to stir up ill feeling or suggest that we are not patriotic."

8. Who are the organisers of the march ? Are any of them Lutonians ? If it is March for England, is LBC aware of the serious allegations levelled at the organisation on respected blogs such as http://barthsnotes.wordpress.com/2009/03/26/english-patriots-capitalise-on-islamism/. The 2 photos gathered from Dave Smeeton's Facebook page (above) are of particular concern. Under the "Skinhead" photo, Smeeton has written in a comment "those were the days..." in a moment of unbridled nostalgia.

9. Were community groups and leaders consulted prior to the decision to consider sanctioning the 24th March ?

10. Is not the marching date particularly ill-timed given the 1) proximity of the mosque fire, 2) high-profile far-right election campaign, 3) heightened community tension and 4) imminent preparations for the inclusive, multi-cultural carnival celebration ?

A British National Party candidate, due to stand in London Colney and Colney Heath in next month's county council elections, has undergone training to enable him to speak to the press.BNP member Mark Gerrard has been nominated in the Colneys division and will be on the ballot paper. Unfortunately, despite his training, his was this week unable to talk to the Review.His opponents fighting for a seat on Hertfordshire County Council include Labour Party candidate Dominic Benson, Liberal Democrat's Chris Brazier, Green Party's Lucy Eggleston, and Tory Timothy Jones.St Albans MP Anne Main said: "It's extremely disappointing that we have far right parties like this who only serve to bring out racial tension. "In an area like London Colney, which has a significant ethnic popultation, its politics are completely disreputable and I do hope people don't see the need to support it."Community relationships on the whole in St Albans are very good, exemplary in some cases, it's a real shame they feel they need to stand in areas such as ours."I really hope that people roundly reject them." Speaking about his controversial competitor, councillor Brazier added: "It's sad that people are still considering the BNP these days, it is an extreme political party."I think it's very difficult for the BNP to get its policies over without sounding extreme."Labour councillor Martin Leach, who represents Batchwood ward, said: "I hope the election will concentrate on the real issues about the future of local services and not be side lined by racists and cranks."Mr Gerrard, who is the only competitor within the Colneys Division living outside the district, did not respond to the Review's request for comment but his party colleague, BNP local spokesman Mark Fuller, said: "Like any BNP candidate he will be a strong voice for the local people in the community and will work hard within the framework of his office, should he be elected, for the benefit of all."He added that it was party policy for all its member to undergo extensive training before talking to the press.Hertfordshire County Council will go to the polls on June 4.